<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Alone Together by JohnPhillipaSoosa</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27227875">Alone Together</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JohnPhillipaSoosa/pseuds/JohnPhillipaSoosa'>JohnPhillipaSoosa</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Inn Between (Podcast)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Found Family, Gen, Growing Up Together, Lifelong friends, Orphan Success Stories, Unrequited Crush, aroace character, the lore on twitter made me go into a fugue state</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 21:09:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,096</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27227875</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JohnPhillipaSoosa/pseuds/JohnPhillipaSoosa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Life is hard and long. It’s better with friends.</p><p>I swear, every time we get any Tessa backstory I lose a little more of my mind, and this is the result.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Are you still awake?”</p><p>Tessa opened one eye to look at Reevis in the next bed over. She could make out the pale outline of his face and some strands of his long wild hair.</p><p>“Yes,” she admitted in a whisper, but didn’t say anything else. She’d hurt his feelings very badly yesterday and was just glad to have him speaking to her again.</p><p>He took his time responding too. “Did you actually mean it?”</p><p>Tessa hesitated, but it was never her inclination to lie. “Yes. I’m sorry.”</p><p>Reevis was quiet for a while. Tessa watched him.</p><p>“The problem is,” he said eventually, “the problem is I dunno what to do if you’re right. If my ma isn’t coming back for me, then...then what do I do with myself?”</p><p>It had been an unkind thing to tell him, but Tessa had been so sick of the backwards useless hope her friend was living in. And perhaps a little jealous that he remembered his ma. “I dunno. I’m sorry.”</p><p>He turned his pale face down, looking sullen. “What about you?”</p><p>“Me?”</p><p>“You stay sane. You barely even lose your temper.” He looked at her again, with a challenge. “How come? You’re not happy here.”</p><p>Tessa considered. She had an answer, but she never told anyone. It didn’t do to show weakness here. </p><p>Then again, she had taken everything else from him already.</p><p>She sat up a little, just to see if anyone else was awake. Didn’t look like it. Carefully, silently, she pulled a scrap of paper out from under her pillow. “Here.”</p><p>Both their arms were short, but Reevis managed to take hold of it by the tips of his fingers. He studied it carefully. Tessa was sure he could see it even in the dark; his ma was a half-elf, he’d said many times.</p><p>After a little too long, he handed it back. “A house?”</p><p>Tessa took a moment to smooth out the rumpled corner of the drawing between her index finger and thumb before replacing it under her pillow. “A home.”</p><p>“Okay?”</p><p>She settled back under the covers, crossing her arms across her chest. It was easier when she wasn’t looking at Reevis, to tell him what she was thinking.</p><p>“Someday, I’ll move to Larkdale. There are flowers there. And a castle in the distance, like a fairy tale. And there’s this old empty inn.”</p><p>“That’s the picture?”</p><p>“Yeah. I’m going to fix it up and make it a home for anyone who wants one.”</p><p>He didn’t say anything for a second, so Tessa looked over.</p><p>The thing about Reevis was that normally he looked as much like a dirty urchin as the rest of them, until he smiled. He didn’t do it often, but sometimes he smiled and he was absolutely transformed.</p><p>Reevis had a beautiful smile.</p><p>“It might not happen,” Tessa added, because that was only practical, and she had to. “But I’m going to try.”</p><p>“So you have a dream,” Reevis said, his little voice filled with wonder.</p><p>Tessa scowled. “You don’t need a dream. You just need something to look forward to.”</p><p>“Mmm.”</p><p>When Tessa looked again, Reevis was asleep, peacefully. Satisfied that she’d made up for her mistake, Tessa drifted off too.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Reevis strolled into Larkdale with a parcel under his arm, whistling. It was only a few minutes’ walk from the Castle Whitetower into town, so he went as often as possible, much to the consternation of the other servants. He had tried to explain that he was visiting a friend, but that only led to teasing about his romantic exploits, and that was a bit worse. At least the cook had taken pity on him and packed him a lunch to share.</p>
<p>All that was forgotten as he approached the inn, though. It didn’t look any better than it had last week, but maybe all the work Tessa had done was inside.</p>
<p>“Hey Tessa!” Reevis called.</p>
<p>Her face appeared in a broken-out window on the second floor. “Oh, are you back? Come in, won’t you?”</p>
<p>Reevis did, avoiding the hole in the floorboards by the door. Tessa was descending a staircase very carefully, pausing at each squeak.</p>
<p>“You’ll never have robbers,” Reevis commented.</p>
<p>“I’m fixing it,” Tessa grumped. “Your day off?”</p>
<p>“Half a day.” Reevis brushed the latest coat of dust off the one table in the inn and set down his parcel. “I brought lunch.”</p>
<p>“You don’t have to spend all your free time with me,” she said, taking a seat without bothering to dust the chair off, as doing so would hardly matter.</p>
<p>Reevis carefully unwrapped lunch, which turned out to be yesterday’s bread with cheese and peaches. “What else am I going to do, hang about the castle?”</p>
<p>“People will talk,” Tessa said, taking the bread and tearing it near-miraculously into equal portions.</p>
<p>“About what?” Reevis scoffed, more convincingly than he felt. He wiped the chair off and sat. “Let them talk.”</p>
<p>Tessa actually smiled, which lifted Reevis’ spirits. She was doing that more and more now that they’d left behind the dingy orphanage in Split River.</p>
<p>They ate for a moment in silence before Tessa spoke again. “Are you happy there?”</p>
<p>Reevis shrugged breezily. “Being a houseboy isn’t glamorous, and the Whitetowers are stuffy, but they’re generous. The other servants are all right.”</p>
<p>“But you’re all alone,” Tessa said, her tone just the slightest bit mournful. </p>
<p>“I’m not,” he countered. “I have you.”</p>
<p>Tessa didn’t seem satisfied by this answer. “Are you <i>happy</i>.”</p>
<p>“I’m getting there,” Reevis promised. “I swear. I’m better all the time.”</p>
<p>“What are you looking forward to?” she pressed.</p>
<p>“Tomorrow,” he said firmly. “And usually I’m right to.”</p>
<p>Satisfied or no, Tessa accepted this. “I always wondered what it was you decided to hope in.”</p>
<p>Reevis frowned a little. “What?”</p>
<p>“You don’t remember?” Tessa seemed surprised by this. “That day when we were young, and I...told you about this place.”</p>
<p>The memory crowded back in. “Oh, that.”</p>
<p>Tessa studied him. “You’re blushing.”</p>
<p>“Am not.” He was.</p>
<p>“Are too.” Tessa did not ask any further questions, to her credit; she just selected a peach and took a bite.</p>
<p>Now Reevis had to decide whether to tell this secret thing he’d held onto for years. He had no doubt that Tessa would not begrudge him his feelings; he just worried that her reaction would be pity.</p>
<p>Perhaps part of the truth would do.</p>
<p>“You have looked forward to home,” he said. “I have been looking forward to family.”</p>
<p>Tessa’s eyebrows rose. “Family?”</p>
<p>“I’ll have to build it myself, is all,” Reevis explained. “It may be small. Just so long as it’s mine.”</p>
<p>She nodded, slowly at first, then more approvingly. “A worthy goal.”</p>
<p>“I’ve just got some work to do before I get there,” he muttered.</p>
<p>They ate for a while longer.</p>
<p>“Have you thought about what you’re going to name this place?” he said after a bit.</p>
<p>Tessa waved a dismissive hand. “I don’t see any reason not to call it the Giggling Crane.”</p>
<p>“You don’t want to make it your own?” Reevis said, finishing the last of his bread.</p>
<p>“I already am.”</p>
<p>The food gone, Reevis neatly—very like a houseboy should—folded up the cloth of the parcel and slipped it into his pocket. “Well then. I imagine a helping hand wouldn’t go unwanted?”</p>
<p>“Certainly not,” Tessa said, standing. “Come see what I’m doing upstairs.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It's just that every time Tessa talks about fighting off goblins she uses "we." So this is my answer to who "we" is.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was after the grand opening, while she and Reevis were cleaning up the leavings of the festivities, that Tessa took a moment just to look at her inn.</p>
<p>The place gleamed. Dozens of people had come by, mostly out of curiosity and despite the rumors that a band of goblins was near town, and they had found the old abandoned Giggling Crane completely restored, whole again. It was always harder to see the change in a thing when you were in the midst of it, but something about this moment had lifted the veil for Tessa. She could see it in her mind’s eye, exactly how far she’d come.</p>
<p>Gods, but she loved this inn.</p>
<p>Reevis reappeared from the kitchen. “I think that’s everything.”</p>
<p>Tessa nodded vaguely, her thoughts far from dirty dishes. “Look at us, hm? Look at us.”</p>
<p>Reevis smiled his beautiful smile. “You should be proud of what you’ve accomplished here.”</p>
<p>“I am,” she said. And then she took his hand. “And grateful.”</p>
<p>He blushed, the silly man, and squeezed her hand. “I was glad to help.”</p>
<p>“I know, and I’m grateful for that, too.” Tessa looked again upon her inn. “What an awful lot of work we’ve done. In service of a dream that was a little bit impossible.”</p>
<p>“It gives me hope for my dream,” Reevis said distantly.</p>
<p>“People are messier than boards and nails, but you’ll build your family yet,” Tessa assured him.</p>
<p>He gave her a look she didn’t quite understand, something fond and...and something else, with the tenor of a question.</p>
<p>“You know,” he said, releasing her hand, “I uh...I’m only a footman right now, but the butler said I might go far in the household. Maybe make chamberlain, or take over for the butler himself.”</p>
<p>“That’s good news!” Tessa said. “I thought you progressed to footman rather quickly. You must be standing out.”</p>
<p>“Well...well here’s the thing,” said Reevis carefully. “It’s hard for the household staff to have families—not impossible, just hard—especially if the rest of the family wants to do something different with their lives. Other than be household staff, you understand.”</p>
<p>Tessa quirked an eyebrow, trying to follow. “Yes?”</p>
<p>“And I’m...I’m in love with this girl.”</p>
<p>Tessa’s other eyebrow jumped up to join its sister. “Oh! Are you?”</p>
<p>“I am,” Reevis said quietly, not meeting her eyes. “I have been for a fair while now. I’m just not sure if I should carry on being a footman if I love her.”</p>
<p>Ah, now Tessa saw the dilemma. She nodded understandingly. “She wants to do something else, then.”</p>
<p>“Oh, yes,” Reevis said, glancing inexplicably around the inn.</p>
<p>“Would you be willing to give up your chances at advancement, if she asked that of you?” Tessa asked.</p>
<p>“I think I would,” Reevis replied thoughtfully. “I don’t know that she’d ask that of me, but...but yes. Her dreams are important to me too.”</p>
<p>Good lad, Tessa thought. “Well then, I don’t see any reason not to discuss it with her personally. Assuming she is amenable to your feelings, of course.”</p>
<p>Reevis took her hand again, very gently, and placed it between both of his. Not in a way that indicated friendship, in a way that indicated something...else. “And...and is she?” He looked her in the eye. “Is she amenable?”</p>
<p>
  <i>Oh.</i>
</p>
<p>For a moment Tessa was stock-still, as stiff as if she was made of the same wood as her in. She opened her mouth to say something, and found she had absolutely no words. Everything felt reversed, flipped upside down, and she couldn’t get her bearings.</p>
<p>Reevis must have seen this. “Please, Tessa, I—you’re my friend first, no matter what your answer is. That’s what’s most important to me.”</p>
<p>The assurance settled on her like a warm blanket, leaving her utterly relieved. As much as that feeling surprised her, it also told her what her answer was. She carefully placed her other hand over his, took a breath, tried to find the right words.</p>
<p>“I have never been romantically inclined,” she said carefully. “And I don’t think that’s likely to change.”</p>
<p>Reevis winced painfully, letting their hands slide away from each other.</p>
<p>Tessa was about to apologize, but then again...why? She didn’t have anything to be sorry for. Except, perhaps, for the newly sorry state of her friend. “How long have you felt this way?” she asked instead.</p>
<p>Reevis took a shaky breath. “Years. Uh. A long time.”</p>
<p>Now Tessa’s heart broke properly. “Oh, Reevis, you weren’t...you weren’t counting on me to build your family, were you?”</p>
<p>Reevis rubbed his face, and sniffed. His eyes were glistening. “Well, uh. I thought, um...no, no, see, you’re still my friend, I meant that. And that’s...that still matters.” He sniffled again, and looked at her, trying to put on a brave face. “You’re my oldest and dearest friend, and I wouldn’t want to change that without your permission. You’re already as good as family, Tessa.”</p>
<p>Tessa covered her mouth, profoundly sad for her friend. Profoundly grateful.</p>
<p>He dragged his hand under his nose, sniffling, blinking back tears, and unexpectedly loosed a breathy laugh. “I’m sorry. Today was your day.”</p>
<p>There was a sound outside, a scratching, and something that sounded like a gravelly voice. Tessa frowned.</p>
<p>“And here I come,” Reevis said, shaking his head, “putting my foot in my mouth—”</p>
<p>“Ssh.” Tessa held up a hand.</p>
<p>“What is it?” Reevis said.</p>
<p>“Do you hear that?”</p>
<p>Reevis listened.</p>
<p>There <i>were</i> voices, several of them, speaking a language Tessa didn’t recognize, and there were feet walking and weapons—</p>
<p>“The goblins,” Reevis whispered. “They said there was a band of goblins—”</p>
<p>“I know,” Tessa whispered back, frowning furiously. “Listen, if you go out the back, you might be able to sneak around them to the castle. They won’t attack the castle.”</p>
<p>“You’re coming with me?” Reevis hissed, as if that was a given.</p>
<p>“I’m not leaving the inn.” This wasn’t whispered, it was spoken with hard, quiet finality.</p>
<p>Reevis capitulated a moment, and then drew himself up. “Then I’m not leaving you.”</p>
<p>Tessa pressed her lips together and nodded. She dragged a chair up to the pair of decorative polearms hanging above the mantle, and climbed it, and started to untwist the wires holding them to the wall. She heard Reevis huffing behind her. “Oh, gods.”</p>
<p>Tessa yanked one of the polearms from the wall and handed it to him. “Here.”</p>
<p>He took it in both hands. “We’re not soldiers. We’re not even adventurers.”</p>
<p>“No, we’re not,” Tessa said, taking the other polearm and hopping down from the chair. “Here, move your fists apart. You won’t get any leverage otherwise.”</p>
<p>Reevis did what she recommended and gave the polearm an experimental swing. His knuckles were white. “Can we really do this?”</p>
<p>“We’ll manage,” Tessa said, and when he didn’t look convinced she added, “We’re family.”</p>
<p>He was absolutely terrified, but the corner of his mouth showed a hint of his beautiful smile. “Okay. All right.”</p>
<p>Tessa loved him. Not like he wanted, but she loved him nonetheless. She turned her eyes and her blade to the door. “Right, then.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Four</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been a month since the Goblin’s Head had been christened, and business was booming. Tessa loved the flow of the guests. She loved feeding people and giving them a place to lay their heads. She loved avoiding their questions about the head of a goblin hanging behind the counter, which she’d started doing because she was a little embarrassed to be claiming any kind of skill with weapons but continued doing because it was funny to watch people try to put the pieces together themselves. She loved this inn.</p>
<p>She was almost busy enough to forget that Reevis hadn’t come to visit since that fateful night.</p>
<p>And it was very understandable, of course. The man had never been a fighter, but he’d fought that night, and that was doubtless hard to stomach. All this on top of the fact that she’d rejected what sounded like an infatuation that had lasted a very long time. Naturally he’d want some space.</p>
<p>Tessa just missed him, was all. He was her oldest friend. He was her family.</p>
<p>She was thinking these thoughts as she drew three ales from their keg and brought them to a table of animated folks, who seemed to be in the middle of some kind of joke.</p>
<p>“And then I said, buddy, you need to check your spelling,” the human was saying. “That’s not a demon, that’s a <i>lemon</i>.”</p>
<p>“Pfffft,” said the dwarf, waving their hand. They were dressed like a wizard, but one who was road-worn and experienced. “No one would make that mistake.”</p>
<p>“That’s why it’s a <i>joke</i>,” chuckled the human. She had an earring that was the holy symbol of some moon goddess or another. “Oh, thank you, innkeep.”</p>
<p>“You’re welcome,” Tessa said, as her satisfied customers all took drinks of their ale. “Can I get you anything else?”</p>
<p>“Maybe so,” said the elf, setting down his mug, and it was the first word he’d spoken. His face was badly scarred in many directions, as if by edged things. “You know how things happen here. You hear all the gossip. Anyone in this town having any trouble? Need a helping hand or six?”</p>
<p>It was all Tessa could do not to smile. Adventurers. Bonafide adventurers in her inn, the first ones. “Well you missed the goblins, I’m afraid. Those were last month.”</p>
<p>“Nuts,” said the human. The elf gave a significant look to the head of the goblin behind the counter. Tessa had taken to calling him Harold.</p>
<p>“Thanks anyway,” said the dwarf, giving her a smile.</p>
<p>“You’re welcome, adventurers,” she said, and got the slightest whiff of their surprised looks before she returned the counter, smiling. Adventurers! That would be something to tell Reevis about, he’d like that.</p>
<p>If he ever came back, that is.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Reevis walked very deliberately along the road to Larkdale, although he would not admit that he was buying time.</p>
<p>It had been a month now, and although the pain of Tessa’s rejection was like a missing tooth that his tongue kept feeling out, it was also fading. Slowly, but it was fading. He loved her, but mostly he loved her because she was his friend, and that was the bulk of what he was feeling these days.</p>
<p>And now that he’d sorted himself out, it was time to see her again. It had been too long with no explanation. Hopefully she’d understand. He thought she probably would.</p>
<p>The other servants had noticed his malaise and made fun. Of course they had, sometimes there wasn’t a lot to do except gossip. The running theory was that his lover had left him, which was in the vicinity of the truth but untrue enough that the whispers felt like pinpricks. He hadn’t made any close friends with his fellow servants—somewhere in the back of his mind he’d hoped to be co-proprietor of the Goblin’s Head before too long—so there was no denying it to anyone who would listen, either.</p>
<p>Now things had to be different, though. His dream was the same, it just had to stop being attached to a particular person, at least until that person agreed to it. Reevis had to start thinking about what he wanted, how to build family where he was. Tricky. He could use the advice of an expert, which was only one of the reasons he had chosen now to come back to town.</p>
<p>He would start by apologizing again. Tessa was so practical, he doubted she’d do more than wave it off, but he figured he owed it to her. And then he’d ask her if she wanted to talk about anything, and do that if she wanted. And they’d go from there. He hoped.</p>
<p>So lost was he in his thoughts that it wasn’t until he reached the street where the Goblin’s Head was that he realized something was wrong.</p>
<p>The Inn was gone.</p>
<p>Reevis took off running down the street. This couldn’t be true, this couldn’t—</p>
<p>He skidded to a stop in front of an empty field, full of wildflowers.</p>
<p>Reevis couldn’t move. He was frozen, staring, willing the inn to appear where it should, where it had been for decades if what they’d been told was right. Things didn’t just magic away like this, did they? Had Tessa been cursed? Had the inn been destroyed? There wasn’t any rubble.</p>
<p>The only answer the field gave was the ripple of wildflowers in the breeze.</p>
<p>
  <i>What was happening?</i>
</p>
<p>“You’re seeing this too, huh?” said a man who was suddenly beside Reevis. Reevis flinched.</p>
<p>“Wh...where did...where did it go?” Reevis demanded. “The woman who runs it, Tessa, what happened to her?”</p>
<p>The man gave him a helpless shrug.</p>
<p>All Reevis could do was stare at the place his friend should be.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Five</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hey, Reevis.”</p>
<p>Reevis snapped out of his reverie. He was sitting in the kitchen having a late supper, long after most of the other servants had eaten. It was Gil again, oh gods, the sharp-eyed porter who went out of his way to talk to Reevis, even though in the two or three months since Tessa had disappeared he’d just sunk deeper and deeper into his own brain.</p>
<p>“Hi.” Reevis rubbed his face. “Hi, Gil.”</p>
<p>“Wow,” Gil breathed, looking almost impressed. “Three times. New record.”</p>
<p>“What are you talking about?” Reevis muttered.</p>
<p>“I called your name three times before you noticed,” Gil explained, studying him. “I think you’re getting worse.”</p>
<p>Gil had been the first person that Reevis had encountered when he’d come back from Larkdale, babbling about disappearing inns and Tessa being gone. It was doubtless all over the castle by now. Reevis sighed. “What can I do for you?”</p>
<p>“I just wanted to check on you,” Gil said.</p>
<p>“Has my work been unsatisfactory?” Reevis said tiredly. He’d been worried about that. It felt like all he could do to drag himself through the day, when so much of his mind was occupied by unanswerable questions.</p>
<p>“Do I look like the butler to you?” Gil scoffed. “I don’t care about that.”</p>
<p>“Then what?” This conversation was already coming at the tail end of a hard day and Reevis was losing some patience.</p>
<p>“Listen, when you first came back sad, we were a little worried, but now you’re…” Gil exhaled slowly. “You’re a whole different person. And I know you keep to yourself, but we’re just...we’re just concerned.”</p>
<p>Reevis cleared his throat. “I suppose you’re all having a good time speculating about how I’m out of my mind, talking about disappearing inns.”</p>
<p>Gil frowned. “What?”</p>
<p>“I know how everyone likes to gossip,” Reevis said bitterly.</p>
<p>Gil settled back in his chair, chewing on his lip. Reevis watched his lip, momentarily mesmerized.</p>
<p>“All right, look,” Gil said finally, resting his hands on the table in front of them, “I didn’t tell anyone what you told me about your friend Tessa. It seemed like privileged information.”</p>
<p>Reevis blanched. “You didn’t?”</p>
<p>“No, I wouldn’t,” Gil said, and he looked a little offended. “You were really upset. But even if I did, everyone knows the inn that used to be in town is just gone. Nobody thinks you’re crazy.”</p>
<p>Reevis considered this. “They don’t.”</p>
<p>“No. They’ve stopped talking about the inn by now.”</p>
<p>Part of Reevis’ mind said, <i>How could they, when Tessa is out there somewhere, unless she isn’t…</i></p>
<p>“It’s...it’s an awful thing to say, but it would almost be better if she was dead,” Reevis murmured. “At least then I’d know.”</p>
<p>Gil didn’t say anything. When Reevis looked up, looked concerned.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” Reevis blurted. “You didn’t ask for this the first time and you didn’t ask for it now.”</p>
<p>“It’s all right, you know,” Gil said gently. “It really is.”</p>
<p>“It’s not all right,” Reevis said, more talking about himself than anything.</p>
<p>Gil pressed his lips together and nodded. He seemed to understand.</p>
<p>“If um.” Reevis tried to swallow back some of his bitterness. “If they don’t think I’m crazy, what do they think?”</p>
<p>“They think you’re troubled,” Gil said simply.</p>
<p>“Ha. Well.” Reevis tried to sit up straight, put on some semblance of dignity. “They’re right on the money there.”</p>
<p>“You miss her?” Gil asked.</p>
<p>Reevis nodded. “I miss her.”</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Gil was sitting on the ground outside the stables, cleaning the mud out of young Lord Samuel’s tack, when the messenger arrived.</p>
<p>“You there,” she said, dismounting her horse. “I have a message to deliver.”</p>
<p>“Why don’t you go around to the front door?” Gil said, pointing with his pick. “The butler will sort you.”</p>
<p>“Because I’m not here for the lords of the house,” the messenger shot back impatiently, pulling a letter from her bag. “It’s for one of the footmen.”</p>
<p>Who’s sending a messenger to a footman, Gil thought, but what he said aloud was, “Which one?”</p>
<p>The messenger checked her letter. “‘Reevis, if he hasn’t made chamberlain or butler yet.’”</p>
<p>Gil dropped his pick. Something about this was important, he could tell, so despite the fact that Reevis was supposed to be serving all day today, Gil was more certain of anything in his life that he needed to be out here, right now.</p>
<p>“Just a second,” Gil said, scrambling to his feet.</p>
<p>“I haven’t got all day!” she called after him.</p>
<p>Gil hunted down Sarah, another one of the footmen, who was flirting with a scullery maid in the kitchen, pledged to owe her a favor, and told her to send Reevis down to the stables so she could take his place. Sarah got two favors out of him before she agreed.</p>
<p>Gil met Reevis coming down.</p>
<p>“What is it?” Reevis asked him. He looked so smart in his uniform, his long hair pulled back neatly, although the bags under his eyes weren’t doing him any favors.</p>
<p>“There’s a messenger here for you,” Gil said, leading the way out to the stables, where the messenger still waited.</p>
<p>“A messenger?” Reevis seemed mystified.</p>
<p>She was tapping her foot impatiently. “Reevis the footman?”</p>
<p>“Yes, that’s me,” Reevis said, and accepted the letter. The seal was simple, as far as Gil could tell. Reevis broke it and opened up the letter.</p>
<p>“That’s three silver,” the messenger said.</p>
<p>Reevis didn’t answer. His eyes went huge.</p>
<p>“Who’s it from?” Gil asked.</p>
<p>“It’s...it’s Tessa,” Reevis breathed. “She’s alive. She’s okay and she’s alive!” And he smiled. Gods, but he had a beautiful smile. Gil grinned back.</p>
<p>The messenger cleared her throat. “Excuse me?”</p>
<p>“Oh, sorry! Sorry.” Reevis patted his pockets. “How much?”</p>
<p>“It’s three silver.”</p>
<p>Reevis pulled coins out of his pocket helplessly. “I...I only have two,” he said.</p>
<p>“Here,” Gil laughed, and handed him another.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Reevis said, and then handed them off to the messenger and said again, “Thank you,” and then turned back to Gil. “Thank you.”</p>
<p>“No problem,” said Gil, and he meant it. Anything to keep Reevis smiling.</p>
<p>The messenger rolled her eyes and remounted her horse, but Reevis’ nose was buried in the letter and he didn’t seem to notice. “She’s in the capital now. Or she was, anyway, when she sent the message. The inn...the inn is magic.”</p>
<p>“It’s what?” Gil crowded next to Reevis, to read the letter over his shoulder.</p>
<p>Reevis showed him the methodical squared-off handwriting that must have belonged to Tessa. “She says it’s a long story, and...oh, gods, I should go back, Sarah’s in my spot—”</p>
<p>“She’ll stay all day,” Gil assured him.</p>
<p>Reevis sighed in relief. “You think of everything, don’t you?”</p>
<p>Gil’s heart hiccupped. “I try.”</p>
<p>Reevis blessed him with one of his smiles. “Hey, you...you probably have work to do, so can I sit with you? While you do it?”</p>
<p>“Of course,” Gil said, surprised. “Of—of course, here, I was just cleaning tack.”</p>
<p>The two of them settled down in front of the stables, Gil with his pick, Reevis with his letter.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Six</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Reevis ambled his way down from the servants’ quarters toward the stables, saying hello to his fellow servants as he passed, and marveling a little about that. He was making <i>friends</i>. Multiple friends was a thing he’d never really had. He was settling in.</p>
<p>It felt good.</p>
<p>He hadn’t heard from Tessa since the messenger—which made sense, those things were expensive—and he still missed her, but he didn’t worry about her anymore. She was doing what she loved. She’d be all right.</p>
<p>Now, though, he didn’t exactly have things to do on his days off. Most of the time he went to chat with Gil, who didn’t mind if Reevis hung around while he did his work. Gil was really lovely, honestly; he noticed everything, but he was quiet about it until the exact moment it mattered.</p>
<p>This was where Reevis was headed now, actually, because he had been thinking long and hard about Lord Samuel.</p>
<p>Gil was currently busy reassembling the portcullis apparatus, which raised the portcullis with the pull of a lever. The portcullis was usually up—although today it was only up by virtue of a couple of sawhorses—and Gil had said that one of the pieces in the apparatus had rusted mostly away. Gil’s task was to replace it.</p>
<p>“Ah, there you are!” Gil said, wrist-deep in complex mechanism. “Heard some news you’ll be interested in.”</p>
<p>Reevis wasn’t all that interested in gossip. “Plenty of time for that later today.”</p>
<p>Gil raised an eyebrow. “Suit yourself. What’s on your mind?”</p>
<p>“How do you always know when I’ve got something on my mind?” Reevis took up a station leaning against the wall near Gil, near enough to be of assistance if need be but far enough to be out of the way.</p>
<p>“You get this hungry look in your eye,” Gil said. “Go on now.”</p>
<p>Reevis didn’t know if Gil was teasing him or not, but he supposed it didn’t matter. “Young Lord Samuel is never happy. He threw an awful fit to the chamberlain the other day for no reason—something about curtains—and I don’t understand why he never seems to be settled. He’s got everything he needs.”</p>
<p>“Don’t spend a lot of time around rich people, do you?” Gil murmured.</p>
<p>Reevis shrugged. “Not particularly.”</p>
<p>Gil nodded understandingly. “There’s a lot of answers to that question. I think there’s a core sort of reason though.”</p>
<p>“What’s that?”</p>
<p>“Can you hand me that wrench?”</p>
<p>Reevis crouched to retrieve the indicated wrench and handed it off. “This one?”</p>
<p>“Yes, thank you.” Gil turned his attention back to the mechanism. “You remember telling me how your Tessa wanted the inn her whole life? Because what she was after was home?”</p>
<p>“Yes?”</p>
<p>“And how you—” The hand with the wrench emerged from the mechanism to point at Reevis— “are after family?”</p>
<p>“Yyesss?”</p>
<p>Gil paused in his work to smile at him. “You’re blushing.”</p>
<p>“Am not,” Reevis said, without much conviction.</p>
<p>Gil’s smile lingered as he went on. “Both of you are after the sort of thing that brings a person true happiness, because it’s as much for other people as it is for yourself. Lord Samuel’s after something too, but it’s not something that will make him happy.”</p>
<p>“What’s he after?”</p>
<p>Gil looked over his shoulder, checking to see if someone was listening, and then said, “Power.”</p>
<p>And the single word from Gil made many, many things click into place. He was so good at that. “I see.”</p>
<p>“The difficulty is,” Gil muttered, “chasing after that sort of thing tends to make the people around you miserable too.”</p>
<p>“What about you?” Reevis asked offhandedly.</p>
<p>“What <i>about </i>me?”</p>
<p>“What do you want, Gil?”</p>
<p>Gil paused in his work, glanced at Reevis, licked his lips. He seemed to be thinking about it.</p>
<p>“I’m not like you,” he said after a moment or two. “I don’t want one thing. There are a lot of things I want.”</p>
<p>“Good things?” Reevis guessed. “Bad things? Both?”</p>
<p>“Solidly both,” Gil agreed. “Hopefully more good than bad.”</p>
<p>Reevis watched his deft hands in the machine for a while.</p>
<p>“Speaking of your Tessa,” Gil said, “that news I mentioned. It’s about her.”</p>
<p>Reevis brow knit. “Yes?”</p>
<p>Gil pulled his hands out of the mechanism and picked up a rag to wipe them down. “The inn’s back in town.”</p>
<p>Reevis sprang off the wall. <i>“What?” </i></p>
<p>Gil grinned. “It appeared this morning.”</p>
<p>In a sudden burst of euphoria, Reevis seized Gil’s face and kissed him full on the mouth.</p>
<p>And then froze. “Oh.” He dropped his hands. “Oh my gods, I’m so sorry.”</p>
<p>“Um.” Gill looked fairly stunned. He blinked a couple of times. “Don’t be.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” Reevis said again, feeling stunned himself. <i>This was a new development</i>—but later, later, Tessa was here. He clasped Gil’s arm fondly—a promise and a thank-you—was given the pleasure of Gil’s grin, and then took off running, ducking under the half-lowered portcullis as he went.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Tessa had finished her day’s work—impatiently, and making many silly mistakes—because the one and only thing she wanted to do was go up to the castle to say hello to Reevis. After all, it’s not as though she had a siren alerting all Larkdale that the Goblin’s Head had returned. He might not notice, and there was no telling if the inn was going to move again.</p>
<p>True, the heroes that it seemed to be following were gone—the triple wedding was such a delight, and the trio seemed so happy with each other—but new ones could show up any time! Tessa had to take advantage of today, even if it meant closing the inn. She hated to do it, but it was that or risk missing her friend—</p>
<p>So out the door she stepped, wearing her hat for the first time in ages, taking the time to lock the door and check one more time that the sign in the window said “closed,” and then turned around.</p>
<p>“Tessa!”</p>
<p>She looked up sharply. Reevis was there, already running down the hill, waving his arms wildly and calling her name.</p>
<p>Tessa ran for him as well, her hat flying off behind her, and they collided into a hug that felt like home.</p>
<p>“I missed you,” Reevis said, his long arms wrapped all the way around her.</p>
<p>“Gracious, I missed you too.” She leaned away, but not completely, not letting go of him yet. “I assume you got my message.”</p>
<p>“Thank you for sending it,” Reevis said sincerely. “I was worried something awful had happened to you.”</p>
<p>“Oh, nothing’s happened to me,” scoffed Tessa, still glad to have his earnest worry to look at. “I think we have a lot to talk about.”</p>
<p>“Yes! So much!” Reevis moved his hands to her shoulders and held her out at arm’s length. “I have to tell you about Gil!”</p>
<p>“Well come on then, come in,” Tessa said, moving so his arm was around her shoulder. “Who’s Gil?”</p>
<p>“More importantly, did you close the inn?” Reevis demanded.</p>
<p>“Today is very important,” Tessa informed him. “Now who’s Gil?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Seven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“She’s going to love you.”</p><p>Reevis and Gil made their way down the hill to Larkdale proper, hand in hand. It had been almost a year now since the Goblin’s Head had been back, and in that year some...decisions had been made.</p><p>“She just seems so formidable and particular when you describe her,” Gil said. “I don’t know how to conduct myself.”</p><p>“Just be normal,” Reevis said breezily. “You’ll be fine. I’m telling you, she’ll love you.”</p><p>Gil didn’t look convinced, but Reevis wasn’t worried. When he’d told Tessa about Gil, she’d been very pleased for them both and asked lots of questions, none of which were the standard skeptical questions he’d expected. The worst one was maybe, “And you’re sure he feels the same?”</p><p>But of course he did. He had for a while, as it turned out, and from there things had only progressed.</p><p>Reevis loved him.</p><p>“You’ve really made this place sound special, you know,” Gil said, in his Joking To Mask Nerves Voice. They were walking leisurely down the street now, but his hand felt tense in Reevis’.</p><p>“It <i>is</i> special,” Reevis said. “You’ll see. It feels like home.”</p><p>“My expectations are sky high,” Gil said, nudging him, and Reevis nudged him back and laughed.</p><p>They reached the inn, which looked just as Reevis remembered it, with the addition of a lovely little stained glass window set in the door. Reevis’ heart swelled, thinking of telling his news to Tessa and seeing her reaction, of the subsequent celebration, of this imminent time with his family—</p><p>“Are we going inside, love?” Gil asked.</p><p>“Oh of course,” Reevis said, a little embarrassed but mostly pleased to hear Gil laugh as he opened the door.</p><p>The inn wasn’t busy tonight—all the better—and Reevis spotted Tessa almost immediately as he led Gil up to the bar. “Tessa!”</p><p>Her back was to him; she turned, and Reevis paused. She looked frazzled, but relieved—what was going on?</p><p>“Thank goodness you’re here,” she said.</p><p>“Good to see you too,” Reevis said uncertainly. “Here this is—”</p><p>“You must be Gil,” Tessa said to the selfsame hastily. “Terribly sorry, but I need to borrow Reevis for a moment.”</p><p>“What’s wrong?” Reevis asked.</p><p>“Come and see.” She hurried to the door in the back. Reevis shot an apologetic look to Gil and went after her.</p><p>The kitchen was back here, along with a little alcove where Tessa slept. It was the alcove she led him to, which was barely big enough for a bed, much less a cradle—</p><p>“Tessa, whose baby is that?” Reevis said.</p><p>The baby was asleep and therefore looked like an absolute angel, sucking on their little fist. Reevis wasn’t an expert in baby ages, but they didn’t look newborn. They were wrapped up in a blanket that Reevis thought was familiar, somehow.</p><p>Tessa looked Reevis dead in the eye. “I have no idea.”</p><p>“What do you <i>mean</i>, no idea?” Reevis demanded.</p><p>“I mean that someone left her on the doorstep!” Tessa threw out her hands. “Who does that! Who abandons a child like that?”</p><p>Reevis chose not to mention that they could both name about a dozen people who were abandoned children, because she seemed very upset. “You have no idea who she belongs to?”</p><p>“No!” Tessa rubbed the bridge of her nose. “And what’s worse, we’ve been four places since she appeared!”</p><p>“No chance of contacting any authorities, then—”</p><p>“No, of course not.” She grabbed hold of Reevis’ arm, as if for support. “I don’t know what to do.”</p><p>As if Reevis had any better ideas.</p><p>With a sound like the smallest animal, the baby woke, fussing. “Ohh,” cooed Reevis, reaching down to pick her up. “Sweet little one. What do we call this one, Tessa?”</p><p>“I don’t know, there wasn’t exactly a note!” Tessa glared at the baby, which fit in Reevis’ arms like they belonged there. She crossed her arms. “Why did they think this was a good place to leave her? I’m not exactly a mothering type.”</p><p>The baby protested at Reevis, and Reevis tried to shush her. “It’s okay, little one, it’s all right.”</p><p>“She’s hungry,” Tessa said hotly. “Probably needs changing too.”</p><p>“How do you feed her?” Reevis asked, mystified. “What does she eat?”</p><p>“What does any baby eat?” scoffed Tessa, uncrossing her arms. “Give her here, would you?”</p><p>“Reevis?”</p><p>The door opened, and Gil peeked around it. And blanched.</p><p>“Hello, love,” Reevis said, handing the baby off to Tessa. “Here she is. By the way, we had something to tell you, Tessa.”</p><p>“What’s going on?” Gil asked, his voice thin.</p><p>“If I had any idea myself, I’d be glad to tell you,” Tessa huffed, rearranging the baby in her own arms.</p><p>Gil cleared his throat. “Do you have something to tell me, Reevis?”</p><p>Reevis frowned. “What do you mean?”</p><p>“Whose child is that?” Gil looked very anxious.</p><p>Why would he be anxious? Reevis knew he was nervous about meeting Tessa, although he still wasn’t particularly clear on why—true, he had finally admitted to Gil a few weeks ago that he’d had a crush on Tessa back in the day—</p><p>Gil swallowed. “She doesn’t...she doesn’t belong to—”</p><p>“Oh, gods, Gil, you didn’t think—no, of course not. Tessa would never, and I certainly didn’t—”</p><p>“Didn’t what?” Tessa said, mystified.</p><p>But Gil’s relief was palpable. “Ah, all right. Good.”</p><p>Reevis tried not to smile. “You weren’t jealous of Tessa.”</p><p>“What in blazes are you two talking about?” Tessa grumped.</p><p>Gil looked a bit sheepish. “Nothing, I’m sure. Why the, er, secrecy…”</p><p>“Oh, no, no secrecy,” Reevis explained. “The poor baby’s a foundling. Someone left her here. We were just trying to think up what to do about her.”</p><p>“I’m very open to suggestions,” Tessa said. “I was going to talk to the town guard in Ambitter, but we left there almost immediately.”</p><p>“And even if you found who she belongs to, there’s no guarantee she’d be wanted,” Reevis added quietly.</p><p>Tessa looked pained by this, but she nodded.</p><p>Gil rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I suppose there’s always the orphanage in Split River.”</p><p>Reevis and Tessa’s eyes met, and a few volumes passed between them. Tessa set her jaw. “No.”</p><p>“We can’t have that,” Reevis agreed, surprising himself with the surety in his own voice.</p><p>Gil looked surprised. “Are you sure?”</p><p>Tessa looked down at the baby, rearranging the bit of blanket so her little hands were free. And suddenly, Reevis remembered where he’d seen the blanket—it had been Tessa’s, when they were children.</p><p>“I’m sure,” Tessa said. “Maybe I’ll...I’ll look after her. And I’ll see if someone in Ambitter’s missing her, when we go back there. But meanwhile, whoever left her here thought this place would be a good home for her.” She looked up to Reevis, determined. “So I’ll see that it is.”</p><p>Reevis smiled fondly.</p><p>“In any case, she needs to eat.” Tessa turned to the kitchen. “What was it you boys wanted to tell me?”</p><p>Reevis smiled at Gil, and took his hand. “Tessa, we’re getting married.”</p><p>Gil grinned.</p><p>“You are!” Tessa turned back, lit up with excitement. “Oh, that’s wonderful, congratulations! I’ll make you two a feast.”</p><p>“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Gil said, looking suddenly embarrassed.</p><p>“Nonsense.” Tessa handed the baby off to Reevis. “Hold her please? Thank you. We need to celebrate.”</p><p>Reevis ran a finger along the baby’s soft cheek, and she took hold of his finger, bless her. “You know, this one’s going to need a name.”</p><p>“Well you can help me come up with one, then,” Tessa said, pulling a pot down off a hook in the kitchen.</p><p>Reevis laughed, and then smiled at his fiance, who smiled back.</p><p>“You know,” said Gil, “you have a beautiful smile.”</p><p>“Really?” Reevis grinned. “No one’s ever told me that.”</p><p>“Someone ought to!” Tessa said over her shoulder.</p><p>Gil laughed, and kissed Reevis’ temple. “I see what you mean about this place. Home.”</p><p>“Home,” Reevis agreed.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>